LONDON | Leylah Fernandez from Quebec is strong, but she is also one of the smaller athletes on the professional tennis circuit. However, that didn’t stop her from pushing her limits at Wimbledon by competing against men.
And a man usually hits harder than a woman. Above all, she is stronger than a woman.
For men, the fastest ever legal serve in a match (American John Isner at 155 mph) exceeds the strongest served by a woman (American Coco Gauff at 130 mph). .
Of course, not all serve at the same speed. But there’s one constant: players typically give players tens of miles an hour when it comes to putting the ball in play.
Already a regular
Leylah recognizes it: It’s an “interesting” challenge, even if she trains in training with men “who serve at the same pace as in a game situation”.
“My goal is to come back well so that my opponent can then volley well,” she explains.
In London, it was the second time in a few months that she played sports. She also made it to the United States Open alongside American Jack Sock.
When she faced Le Journal at Wimbledon on Monday, the 20-year-old had just lost her second-round match to Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, who will also play in the men’s doubles final.
It’s hard to tell how fast Jonny O’Mara’s serve was from Britain. There is no sensor recording the data on Court 17 of the All England Club.
Sometimes she’s “a little scared”
In Leylah’s eyes, however, the real challenge isn’t the speed of the men’s serve. It’s more about knowing if the player will really do his best against his opponent or if he will moderate his racquet stroke.
“It’s interesting because you never know how fast they’ll serve,” she points out. Sometimes the man serves less to be respectful to the woman. Others serve harder.”
“My goal isn’t to hit myself trying to come back either!” she adds.
Despite having some very good times in women’s doubles, notably reaching the final in Roland-Garros last month alongside American Taylor Townsend, Leylah doesn’t hide the fact that she’s sometimes “a little scared” in mixed doubles.
Especially if it is placed very close to the net. “I never know when the man will knock on my door!”